Fire-door-controlling mechanism



Dec. 17, 1929. G. w. DREW FIRE DOOR CONTROLLING MECHANISM Filed May 28, 1927 G150. ,wmw Jain I N VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES GEORGE WARREN DREW, F OAKLAND, OALIFORNIA- FIRE-DOOR-CONTROLLING MECHANISM- Application filed m 28, 1927. Serial No; 195,014;

My invention formingthe subject matter of this application is controlling mechanism for rolling fire door.

An object of this invention is to provide a device which incase of fire is operated by the heat of the fire to lower the rolling door and separate thecompartment on fire from the other compartmentsorrooins of thebuilding.

Another objectof this invention is to provide a fire door which when closed is stillsufficient'ly resilient to be readily opened by a person trying to escape f'romthe compartment. i

The above and'other' objects in view will readily appear as the description proceeds. Although I have described an embodiment of my device considered to be the best, it is to be understood that changes may be made in the design and arrangement of parts within the scope of the claims without departingfirom the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying one-sheet of'drawing Figure '1 is an end view of the device. Figure 2 is a cross section taken along the 'line'2'2 of Figure 1. i

Figure 3 is a sectional viewtaken along line 8- 3 ofFigure 2. I

Figure l is an en'delevation showing the rolling fire door attached to the device.

Figure 5 is a detailsectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 3. 1 Arroller fire door 1 made of fire proof material extends across the eirit of a compartment and'is guidedby the grooves 2 disposed in the walls ofthe building. The free bottom of the door 1 is slidable in the grooves 2, the other end of the door is attachedto the outside periphery of discs 2 oppositely disposed at both'sides of said door, the sides or said door extending over drums3. The disc 2' is fixedly secured to a spindle l, said spindle in' turn'isrotatably supported'in a bracket 5 in a-manner to be hereinafter described. The

drums isrotata'ble on the spindle 4. A coil posed around spring 6 is disposed in the drumB' one-end'ofsaid spring being anchored to thespindle 4:- as at Y, the other end thereof being secured to the drum 3 as at 8. Abearing 8 is rotat'ably supported in the-bracket 5 and extends therethrough. bearing. A ratchet-Qisfixedly'secured to the" other end of the bearing'ffi. A spiral groove or track 10 is disposed on a face of said ratchet. The spiral-groove: 10 as'shown in Figure 3 is cut to a length to permit the ratchet to'rotate' approximatelyv two' and a half turns,"but it is understood that the groove could-be cutto any length and number of turns. The ends 11' ofthe spiral groove are adapted to abut against a traveler 12 slida bly. disposed in a pocket l?) on'the bracket? thereby allowin'g the traveler 12 to slide radial-1y in the pocket 13'but preventing'the rotation thereof with the groove 10, the rotation of the IHtCllQtlSllIIIltQCLby131161311618 110i the groove 10 which abuts against-thetraveler 12. Apawl lrispivoted at 15 to the bracket 5-and engages theratchet, said pawl 14' is held in engagement with the ratchet 9' by 11163119011 a'lever 16' pivotally secured'to the brackets 5" at 17. The arm 18 ofthe lever 16 is long enough to be 'turned'by gravity outwardly'from the bracket 5, around thepivot point 17'. Theportion 180i the lever 16is connected to a'flexibl'e line 19 having-fusible joints 20 thereon: The pockets 21 are disthe face of the ratchet 9in order to provide sufi'icient'spacefor a lever or a'bar by means of which the ratchet 9' is manually rotated for the purpose tobe'hereinafter described.

The invention operates as follows: The drawing illu'stratesthe device in a position ready to be lowered by the actionofthe heat produced by a" fire- The flexible line extends over the whole compartment or: the- Thespindle t'vis rotatable in said whole building. andthe fusible joints 20 are 1 spaced-1y disposed there-between. 9 In case of firea't any'point the nearest fuse 20 thereto 7 the movement of the ratchet 9, thereby preventing any further rotation of the bearing 8 and drum 3 by the unrolling door 1.

The further downward movement of the door rotates the discs 2 and the spindle 4 in the bearing 8 against the tension of the coil spring 6 thereby unwinding about onefourth ofthe total tension of said coil spring 6, so that when the door is completely closed the coil spring still retains about threefourths of .the originally fully wound tension thereof in order to counter-balance the weight of the door 1 and thereby to facilitate the raising thereof, but said three-fourths springtension is not enough to hold the door 1 in an up raised position. If anyone is caught in the fire and tries to escape through the exit it is only necessary to exert a very little upward forceon the door 1 because the weight of the door is almost completely counter-balanced by the remaining tension of the spring 6 and it renders great assistance in raising the door rapidly and permits a person to leave the room, but as it'has not sufficient tension left therein to support the door in an upraised position after released the door automatically lowersagain.

When the fire is over and the door must be opened, it is raised to the highest elevated position and is held there until the pawl is engaged in the ratchet and thefuse is replaced on the flexible line 19 thereby forcing the lever 16 under the pawl 14 and securing the same inits locked position, a lever or bar is then placed into one of the pockets 21-and the ratchet is rotated thereby in order, towind the spring. The spring is wound until the tension thereof is suflieient to support the door 1 in the elevated position thereon.

The tension of the spring 6 and the number of turns or revolutions by the ratchet 9 and I the track 10 before the end 11 abuts the trav- 'eler 12is adjustable by the number of turns used when the spring 6 is wound by the ratchet. The position of the traveler 12 in the bracket 10 relatively to thetrack end 11 determines the number of turns" or revolutions the ratchet rotates before'the door is lowered, thereby providing ready means ,to

. adjust the tension of the spring.

The traveler 12 is so disposed relatively to the track end 11 that it permits the turning of the ratchet 9 just far enough to reduce the tension of the spring by the one-fourth thereof, about three-fourths of the full wound spring tension is left therein after the door is lowered in order to help to raise the door. When the spring is wound again by the ratchet 9 the ratchet is turned around only far enough to regain the unwound one-fourth spring tension therein, thereby placing the traveler 12 in the relative position to the end ll-occupied before the fire started.

Claims:

1. In a fire .door controlling mechanism, a drum, a spindle rotatable in said drum and adapted to roll and unroll the fire door, a spring securing said spindle to said drum, means to wind. said spring, means to limit the unwinding of said spring when the fire door is lowered and to retain sufficient tension therein to aid in raising the same.

2. In a fire door controlling mechanism a drum, a spindle adapted toroll and unroll said fire door, said drum being rotatably positioned, on thespindle, a spring anchored to said spindle and in said drum, means to rotate said drum thereby to wind said spring, means to limit the unwinding of said spring when the fire door is lowered and. to retain sufiicient prising a spiral track on the winding. means,

and a stop adapted to travel on said track and limit the rotation of said winding and unwinding means.

4. A fire door controlling mechanism comprising a drum, a spindle, a rolling fire door secured thereto, a coilspring anchoredto the spindle and to the drum, means to wind'said spring, means to hold said sprmg in wound position, and means to release a part of the means to release said ratchet. I V 5. A fire door control mechanismcomprls' ing a spindle, a disc fixedly secured thereto,

- a rolling fire door on the disc;a drum rotatably positioned on the spindle, a spring secured to the shaft and to the drumymeans to rotate the drum for winding the spring,

means for arresting said winding means in 6. A fire door control mechanism comprising a spindle, a disc fixedly secured thereto, a rolling fire door on the disc; a drum rotatably positioned on the spindle, a springsecured to the shaft and to the drum; means to rotate the drum for winding the spring, means for arresting said winding means in the wound positlon of the spring; and l miting means to allow the unwinding of a part oft-he tension of the spring when said arresting means is released, said winding means comprising a ratchet secured to said drum; said limiting means comprising a volnte track on one face of the ratchet, and a stop adapted to travel in said track and to arrest the rotation of said ratchet and said drum when an end of the track abuts against said stop.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE VARREN DREW. 

